Knowing is half the battle!

For the record, I grew up in a very environmentally friendly home.  Most of my tips, like using baking soda as a cleaning agent, were from my mother.  My father was a huge proponent of recycling and we've been doing it for as long as I can remember.  We opt for reusable towels to clean up spills and clean counter tops rather than paper towels.  We've never run water when we're brushing our teeth and the rule in our house is if you're not using the light, shut it off.  We also leave the thermostat below 70 at all times, and the heat cycles, leaving the heat below 65 when no one's home and when we're all bundled up sleeping.  We're not perfect though, I have my moments when I run the water for longer than I should when I'm washing my face.  Occasionally a light is left on when no one's in the room and showers can last far too long especially in the winter.  However, being conscious about it is important. 

Being conscious of your output is important.  I'm not saying get rid of your car, never use a chemical again, don't eat red meat.  I'm saying sacrifice where you know it won't bother you too much.  There are certain places in my house that need a heavier cleaning job and so I have certain cleaners in my home for those areas.  Also, I have never been, nor will I ever be, a vegetarian.  I love red meat, but the cattle industry is pretty bad when it comes to greenhouse gases.



"When emissions from land use and land use change are included, the livestock sector accounts for 9 per cent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases. It generates 65 per cent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of CO2. Most of this comes from manure."
29 November 2006, UN News Centre


So, if you cut down your red meat consumption to once a week it will not only help your health (big plus!) but it will be an environmentally friendly way to live.

The hard part of living in an environmentally friendly way is the frustration.  Firstly, one constant suggestion in the media is to buy your produce at farmers markets.  That's all well and good but if you live in the northern half of the country we don't always have that option.  Then we end up at the grocery store, buying produce from halfway around the world which isn't good, but do we really want to deal with no fruits and veggies all winter long?  I think not.  Also, if you're down to read meat once a week that means you need to get your protein elsewhere (and if you're not into tofu I'm right there with you) so that means chicken or fish.  Fish can be a problem because certain types of fish are being severely over-fished.  Here's a list of the good, bad, and the ugly in the fished population.  So being environmentally concious can be a pain, but knowing is half the battle.  Just being aware of how your dietary choices, and your daily household choices can affect your imprint on the environment!  I don't believe that environmentally friendly living should rule your life, but it should definitely be a part of it.